Catalog
2 Units - Aspurgus
| Issuer | Bosporan Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 9 BC - 13 AD |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Anokhin#1381, MacDonald#272, Bosporos#291 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Caduceus depicted upright in the center of the field, with two intertwined serpents rising to a winged top, rendered in a schematic hammered style. To the left of the caduceus appears the Greek letter Β (beta), serving as a mark of value denoting 2 units. The device is contained within a plain circular border. The field is otherwise bare, with no additional legend or inscription. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Β |
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| Additional information |
Aspurgus ruled the Bosporan Kingdom as a client of Rome, having secured his position partly through direct appeal to Augustus — a political calculation that kept the kingdom nominally independent while firmly within the Roman orbit. His coinage reflects this balancing act: a local bronze issue serving a Greek-speaking trading population on the northern Black Sea littoral, where Bosporan merchants regularly handled both Roman and Parthian goods. The 2-unit denomination circulated alongside larger issues in a system that had been largely stable since the Spartocid dynasty.
Anokhin 1381 and MacDonald 272 align closely on attribution, though Bosporos 291 reflects minor typological distinctions some specialists consider die-linked to transitional issues of the late Augustan period.